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President Barack Obama, center, speaks during his meeting with elected officials, law enforcement officials and community and faith leaders in the Old Executive Office Building on the White House Complex in Washington, Monday, Dec. 1, 2014. Obama said that in ... more >

President Obama didn’t invite any police officers from Ferguson, Missouri, to White House meetings that were aimed at solving unrest over the police shooting of a black teen in that town.

The White House acknowledged Tuesday that no representatives of the Ferguson police department were invited to the day-long series of meetings that Mr. Obama held on Monday.

“The president was interested in gathering stakeholders from across the country, not just one community,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest, who said the meetings focused on “building bridges and restoring some trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities that they’re sworn to serve and protect.”

Asked by a reporter if the administration felt it was necessary to include someone from the Ferguson police department, Mr. Earnest replied, “No.”

“This is the kind of discussion that is taking place, not just in Ferguson but in communities all across the country,” he said.

“And I think the president was able to tap into that broader national sentiment in the context of this meeting, even though it didn’t include law enforcement officials from Ferguson, Missouri.